Internet-based service providers (ISPs) are beginning to offer more services to subscribers utilizing network devices deployed behind gateways, such as a home gateway, in subscriber's networks. Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services, in particular, are gaining momentum, while video-over-IP services such as video conferencing and video-on-demand are expected to follow. These new services are often delivered using the subscriber's existing broadband connection. This deployment option opened up an opportunity for a new breed of independent service providers to enter the market and compete with established access providers. The competition is expected to heat up and is forcing service providers to look for very cost efficient options for rolling out and managing these services.
The process of configuring a network device and establishing service is known as provisioning. Some provisioning systems are used to automatically configure devices using a variety of configuration protocols such as Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS), the PacketCable interface specification, the Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) Wide Area Network (WAN) management protocol according to Technical Report TR-069, and eXtensible Markup Language (XML) Configuration Access Protocol (XCAP), for example. However, once the device is configured, a user may wish to customize certain settings for their environment. For example, some VoIP devices come with a built-in wireless gateway and consumers may wish to setup local wireless network security. If the user encounters difficulties in the customization of their device and/or Local Area Network (LAN) settings, they may seek assistance from their service provider. Instead of building sophisticated automated subscriber support systems, some service providers opt for a more direct solution that relies on remotely accessing a subscriber device's configuration user interface (UI) by support personnel. Many devices provide a web-based UI intended for local access by the subscriber and remote access by the service provider.
Troubleshooting using remote access to subscriber device's UI is not the only mechanism for remote troubleshooting and assistance, but it has been utilized by some service providers that find its simplicity appealing. In the past and presently, this model is used for remote troubleshooting of home gateways with public Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity. More recently, these service providers have expressed desire to extend this support model to devices deployed behind the home gateway which often have private local IP address assigned by the DHCP server in the home gateway.
Devices behind a home gateway are typically shielded from remote entities initiating connections to them by virtue of the home gateway functioning as a firewall and network address translation (NAT) router. In this environment, it becomes impossible for service providers to use the device UI remotely because (a) the device IP address is not known and (b) there is no standard mechanism to initiate a remote HTTP connection to a NAT'ed device. Therefore, there remains a need in the art for systems and methods that address the problems of accessing a client device that has a private address.
Embodiments of the present invention and their advantages are best understood by referring to the detailed description that follows. It should be appreciated that like reference numerals are used to identify like elements illustrated in one or more of the figures.